Home > MineralsMineral Supplements
What are
Minerals?
Like
vitamins, minerals are essential to life. They are micronutrients
involved in all enzyme activities and are integral components of
biochemical compounds. Minerals such as calcium, phosphorus,
magnesium, potassium and sodium are required in larger amounts and are
called macrominerals. Other minerals such as boron, chromium, copper,
iodine, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, sulfur, etc are needed in
trace amounts. They are often referred as trace minerals or
microminerals.
Different
minerals have different functions in our body. Calcium is needed for
healthy bones and teeth, normal heart action and nerve impulses.
Magnesium assists the absorption of calcium and is needed for normal nerve
and muscle impulses, and energy metabolism. Zinc and selenium are
integral components of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and
glutathione peroxidase respectively and are needed for proper immune
functions, protein synthesis, and vitamin E absorption etc.
Why do we need mineral supplements?
Minerals
occur naturally in soil and are taken up by plants which in turn eaten by
herbivores, then by carnivores. We obtain minerals by consuming these
plants and animals. However, modern farming practice has depleted the
soil of many minerals and beneficial soil microbes. As a result, the food
we consumed today has lower mineral content, especially for trace minerals
such as zinc and selenium.
Mineral
supplements are best consumed in chelated forms, e.g. selenocysteine
and selenomethione are more bioactive than sodium selenite, and less
likely to have adverse side effects due to over consumption. Mineral
supplements should be taken in balanced amounts as over consumption of one
mineral can affect the absorption of other minerals. Most mineral
supplements are also combined with multi vitamin formulas.
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